ABSTRACT
Unsaturated polyester (UP)-toughened epoxy blends were developed. Montmorillonite (MMT) clay was dispersed into the above system to prepare blended epoxy/UP/clay nanocomposites in different weight ratios namely, 0, 1, 2, 3, and 5%. The specimen was characterized for mechanical properties and damping property analysis. Blended nanocomposites were fabricated by high shear mechanical mixing followed by ultrasonication process to get homogeneous mixing under the aid of in situ polymerization. The above studies were conducted as per the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) standards. Data obtained from the above studies indicated that the introduction of UP into the epoxy resin and further reinforcement with clay improved the mechanical and damping properties to an appreciable extent. The homogeneous morphologies of the UP-toughened epoxy and epoxy/UP/clay nanocomposite systems were ascertained using scanning electron microscope (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) studies. The objective of this study was to identify a suitable nanocomposite which offers a low-cost, high strength material that can be applied for engineering and structural applications to provide better performance.
